Farmer: Bulgarian Cucumber Production Is Ruined

"At the moment, vegetable wholesale markets, public markets, and trade centers are flooded with imported produce of unverified origin. Bulgaria is receiving large quantities of second- and third-grade quality, as well as damaged produce, which is competing with high-quality Bulgarian products," said farmer Ivan Kaburov in an interview on BNT's brekafast programme “The Day Begins” on June 10.

"The produce comes from third countries such as Turkey, Albania, and North Macedonia, which do not comply with European standards for fruit and vegetable cultivation. Right now, cucumbers from my greenhouse are priced at 1 to 1.20 BGN per kilogramme, but consumer demand is extremely low. We are forced to discard a large portion of our harvest," he added.

"This year, for the first time in 30 years, we have witnessed extremely severe climatic disasters, resulting in the destruction of over 90–95% of the fruit harvest. There is a significant shortage on the market. Where Bulgarian produce is available, prices will inevitably be high. Unfortunately, some traders are taking advantage of the situation and engaging in price speculation," said Tsvetan Tsekov, Chairman of the National Trade Chamber for Fruits and Vegetables.

According to him, there is a lack of traceability and an absence of a Law on the Agri-Food Chain, which should include all stakeholders and regulate these processes to prevent the kind of drastic markups currently observed.

Tsekov stressed that Bulgarian producers have long advocated for such a law and are the initiators of its creation.

"For years, this has failed to materialize. We have not only reached a working version, but a final draft as well. Although its adoption is currently delayed, we have information that it has passed all stages of public consultation and will be presented soon. This law is of critical importance as it protects both consumers and producers, and brings transparency to the agri-food chain. Only then will we be able to trace the origin of products—whether Bulgarian produce has been substituted or imported goods falsely labeled as 'Bulgarian.' There's widespread abuse, and this will continue as long as there is no law to bring transparency and no regulatory oversight," Tsekov concluded.